Legends of the Heroes: The Awakening
by Captnspdr
Summary: For many millenia, the Pokémon world has lived in relative peace. But when an evil arises that threatens to destroy the world as they know it, a select few will rise to spare the world - or destroy it. AshxDawn MayxOC
1. Prologue to Awakening: When Journeys End

**Me: Welcome! It's the same old Chapter One as before, it just has about 1000 words added for detail. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and by that I mean that one person. Lady Monopolist, thanks for the review, I will try to work on doing what you suggested from now on. And to everyone else, I'll try to start Chapter Two sometime today, but try not to get your hopes up. I have a busy weekend ahead of me. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, trust me, I'd know if I did.**

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><p>Yawwwn... Huh? What time is it? Oh god! I was supposed to be here hours ago! I'm so sorry! My name is... Wait a minute, we are behind schedule. You don't need to know my name, you are going to meet me soon enough. Anyway, this world is inhabited by creatures known as Pokémon. We humans live alongside Pokémon and use them in our everyday lives. Some are treated as companions, some friends, others tools. Some are treated well, others poorly. Blah Blah Blah. These are the stories of the great heroes, who came to the world's aid when it needed them the most. So, if you dare, enter the wonderful world of Pokémon!<p>

It was a lush and sunny day in the outskirts of the Kanto Region. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. Wings beating rapidly, Pidgeys flew in their flocks, and Spearow in theirs. This is the region known as Kanto. We are looking for two young teens, who have just finished a journey in a far away region. You probably know them, after all, you are reading this story because you think they would make a cute couple. Yes, they are Ash and Dawn. Brock has recently left them to visit his family and start training to become a Pokémon Doctor. They are currently on their way to visit Ash's mom, little do they know there will be more waiting for them there. We see them walking in a forest, maybe Viridian Forest? No, just kidding, they are walking along Route 1. They are both in deep thought, and of course Ash is being his usual dense self.

'Well, another league finished, another step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master,' Ash thought walking along a dirt trail, his eyes fixed on the trail ahead, and his feet rhythmically crunching against the loose dirt on the ground. He trotted along, forgetting about the companion he was traveling with. 'Losing to Tobias really taught me I need to train my Pokémon a lot more and give them more strategies. The question is, who could possibly help me? Gary? Maybe. I could talk to some of the Gym Leaders I'm still in contact with. Maybe they would have an idea.'

"Ash?" The blunette asked, watching him, his eyes fixed on the ground, walking like he knew the area like the back of his hand. Which he probably did.

"Huh? Oh Dawn, sorry, I was just thinking about something. What's up?" He asked, looking up at her, his train of thought broken.

"Well, I was just wondering when we will be at your house, it's starting to get kind of late," she answered glancing at the orb that was hanging low in the sky. She looked around after that, but only saw rows upon rows of trees.

"We are almost there, you can almost see the town from- Wow!" Ash exclaimed, reaching the top of a lush, green hill. The hill had a large tree sitting at the top, but was barren everywhere else, except for the small, waving grasses, that covered it.

"What?" Dawn asked confused, picking up her pace and heading to the boy's location.

"It looks almost exactly like I remember it being when I left for my journey," Ash answered admiring the view around him. Rolling green fields, a few small houses, a small laboratory looking place. The two stood, above it all, on a nearby hill, looking at the town, and the fading sun, only halfway gone for the night, hovered behind them, casting long shadows down the hill.

He grinned, not even attempting to contain his excitement, "Welcome to Pallet Town Dawn."

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><p>Two girls walked through Pewter City, rushing to get out of the crowd. One was a brown-haired girl, who was wearing a red bandana, a red shirt, black shorts, and a yellow fanny pack. The other, had a yellow shirt, overalls, and orange hair that was tied in a ponytail that stuck out of the side of her head. The brunette sighed, everywhere she looked, boys were staring at her and her friend. If it wasn't creepy enough that so many members of the opposite gender were staring at them, it made it creepier once one realized where they were staring. She looked to her friend, she seemed to be having fun, despite being so annoyed. Every person she caught staring at her pervertedly ended up with a smack to the head. By a large, wooden mallet. She sighed again, and her face almost lit up, right in front of them, was the road that runs along the edge of Viridian Forest. And despite the fact that her friend would hate what she had planned, the girl knew how to lose the crowd.<p>

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><p>"And over there is Professor Oak's lab..." Ash pointed out, a large ranch<p>

looking place in front of them. He was giving Dawn a tour of the town as they walked through it, forgetting that maybe she wasn't enjoying it at the moment.

"Ash, this is wonderful, but where is your house? My legs are sore," Dawn complained, not used to the hard ground of the Kanto Region.

"We're almost there! I'll race you!" Ash yelled running off, leaving only a confused girl and a trail of dust behind.

"How can I race you when I don't know where to go!?" Dawn screamed, beginning to follow the trail left behind.

She sighed, breaking into a sprint, "I'd better catch up, or else I'll really be lost."

* * *

><p>"Come on! We can lose them! We don't have to go very far in, just far enough in to slip out way ahead of them," the brunette urged her friend as they hid around a corner.<p>

"But you know I hate bugs!" the orange-haired girl replied, looking around cautiously for her worst fear.

"Hey look! There they are!" a reporter cried to a nearby wave of media and fans.

"Ok fine! But just to lose them!" She exclaimed dragging her brunette friend into the woods of Viridian Forest, running away from the crowd of males and media.

"Don't lose them! This will be a wonderful scoop!" A reporter called out.

Another yelled at the girls, "Misty, May, what is your reason for traveling with each other again? Are you visiting on your way to Pallet Town?"

"Just leave us alone!" May screamed, he voice cutting through the air like a knife.

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><p>"I beat you Dawn! I win!" Ash grinned outside his house as the blunette panted at the gate.<p>

"I- let- you- win. Would've- gotten- lost- if- I- hadn't," she forced out in between breaths.

"Whatever. I still win," he replied opening the door.

"Oh my little Ashy is home!" A voice cried embracing Ash.

"Mom- Can't- Breathe!" Ash panted, turning blue.

"Oh sorry! It's just I never get to see you anymore," his mom replied. "You really should visit more often.

"And who is this?" She asked noticing Dawn, "is she your girlfriend? Why didn't you tell me you got a girlfriend?"

"Mom! This is Dawn! She is not my girlfriend! She decided to travel with me a little longer!" He explained both his and Dawn's faces tomato red.

'Ash and I, boyfriend and girlfriend?' Dawn thought, oblivious to the nearby chatter. 'Well, he is kinda cute, and- Wait, what am I thinking!? Ash and I are only friends, nothing more! What is wrong with me!?'

"Oh! Well! Come on in then!" She greeted opening the front door. "It's a shame though. You two look like you would make a cute couple."

"Mom!" He screamed.

"Oops, sorry honey," the mother replied smiling.

"Dawn? Earth to Dawn? Anybody in there Dawn?" Ash asked noticing his friend, who appeared to be mentally elsewhere.

"Huh?" She replied, snapping out of her daze. "Oh sorry! I was just thinking about something."

"Well it looks like someone wishes she was actually dating my Ashy."

"Mom!" Ash screamed, both his and Dawn's faces red again.

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><p>"Hey look! It's Viridian City! Come on May! Let's get to the Pokémon Center!" The orange haired teen cried.<p>

"Wait up Misty! I know you want to get away from bugs as fast as possible, but this is just ridiculous!" The one known as May yelled back before turning in the direction of their destination.

"I wonder if he is going to be there."

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><p>"It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person Mrs. Ketchum, Ash has told me all about you," Dawn stated, attempting to break the ice with a few compliments.<p>

"It is nice to meet you too Dawn, but please, call me Delia," the older woman replied, her face beaming with a smile.

"If you will excuse me, Mimey and I need to make some dinner," she said, bringing the psychic type into the kitchen with her.

"Hey Dawn, how about some TV?" Ash asked, his stomach growling at having to wait for dinner.

"Ok Ash!" She giggled, hearing his angry stomach.

"In other news, the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty Waterflower, and the Princess of Hoenn May Maple were recently seen traveling together once again for reasons unknown. It is believed that they are attempting to visit old friends in or around the Pallet Town area. They were last seen, retreating into the Viridian Forest. They appear to be trying to hide their presence from someone. We will keep you updated as we find out more." A female reporter, with short green hair, in a blue blouse reported.

"Hey Ash," Dawn asked, puzzled. She knew she had seen one of those two before. "Was that the same May we met at the Wallace Cup?"

"Yeah Dawn," Ash answered, clearly surprised by the news report. "It was."

"Who was that with her?" She asked, intrigued that May appeared to be stopping by for a visit.

"That was Misty. She is the Cerulean City Gym Leader. She travelled with Brock and I when I first started my journey." Ash answered, feeling he had told her about Misty already. "Didn't I tell you about her?"

Dawn was shocked. Ash had never mentioned this Misty before. Was she here to steal Ash from her? There is was again. Her Ash. Why was she so possessive of her Ash? Unless... 'No!' She thought, eyes wide. 'I can't!'

"Dawn, are you okay?" Ash asked, watching his friend space out, suddenly. She seemed panicked, at least to him.

"You haven't told me about Misty at all!" Dawn seethed, trying to act angry at him, and not the orange haired girl.

"Oh, oops. I guess I didn't." He rubbed the back of his head. Typical Ash.

It was just then that Dawn noticed something. Her curious eyes had made their way over to a picture, that contained a seemingly familiar figure in it standing next to Ash and Delia, smiling with them.

"Ash?" Dawn began to ask, "who is that?"

"Oh, you mean him? That's my brother," Ash bluntly stated.

"Oh, ok. Wait, what? Your brother? How come you've never mentioned him before?" Dawn almost screamed.

"Well, the thought had never really crossed my mind," he replied shrugging his shoulders.

"Well how old is he?" Dawn asked trying to learn about this mysterious brother of Ash's.

"Actually, we are twins, he is about a minute older than me," Ash answered.

"Oh, that's cool. Is he cute?" She asked innocently.

"Wha? How am I supposed to know? I haven't even seen him in a year!" Ash answered seemingly angry.

"Anyway, where is he?" Dawn asked changing the subject.

"Last I heard he mentioned something about some group named like... I think Team Dim Wits... Or something along those lines..." Ash replied. Now he wished he had paid attention to when his mom talked about Red. He felt stupid. He felt stupid, who didn't keep track of their own brother?

"Wait, you mean Team Dim Sun! I saw them on the news! Two people managed to stop them with the help of some Pokémon Rangers!" Dawn chattered. Of course. Red does this. Red does that. Always doing something. Always doing someone to one up his poor old brother. Poor Ash. He can't even win a single league conference.

"Wow, who would've thought he would be taking down evil organizations," Ash pretended to ponder, while seething at the thought of once again being shown how much more his brother could do than him.

"Kids! Dinner's ready!" A voice called coming from the kitchen.

"Sweet!" Ash yelled scrambling out of the room.

"Hey! Wait up Ash!" Dawn yelled standing up, and walking into the kitchen. He always left poor Dawn behind. 'I will figure out a way to stop him from running off. Even if it means putting a leash on him,' Dawn thought.

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><p>"Hey! May! Look at this!" Misty called, looking at a newspaper. It contained a picture of a few people, all smiling for the camera, as men in suits were forced into a vehicle. "Team Dim Sun disbanded by mysterious trainers!"<p>

"Wait, look at who is standing on the right!" May pointed, looking at a person in the middle of the picture. He wore a Ranger outfit, and looked a lot older, but May always knew it was him, no matter how he looked.

"No, it couldn't be! He couldn't have!" Misty exclaimed, eyes widened. She recognized him too.

"But who is that with him?" May asked, her heart dropping. She had good reason to. Standing next to him, winking and making a V for victory with her fingers, was a girl with long, brown hair, and a Staraptor.

"Oh, I'm sure it's just someone he met traveling," Misty said noticing the brunette's change in attitude. 'I think I know what's up,' she thought, 'And if my plan works out, these next few days will be quite interesting.' "Now come on, let's get some food," Misty said.

* * *

><p>A boy stood on a hill, over looking a town. With his raven hair swaying in the wind, and his black shirt flapping, he looked out across to the town, remembering the good times he used to have there, then called out to a nearby rodent, who was munching on a juicy red apple in a nearby tree, perched on its wide branches.<p>

"Come on Pika," he called, "we're almost there."

"Pi Pika Chu!" It called excited to be so close to its home, and the delicious meals that came with visiting.

"You're right, maybe we will run into some of our friends. And maybe she will be there..." He replied, his thoughts trailing off to a brunette. "Look at me." He scoffed, "Summer would be teasing me and saying I was acting ridiculous."

"Chu Pikachu!" It teased, taking her place.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he scoffed. "I don't like her, we are just close friends. And just because Summer isn't here doesn't mean you get to tease me in her place!" He was angry. Yet another way for the mouse to tease him.

"Pikachu Chu," it answered sarcastically.

"What do you mean 'Sure'? It's true!" He growled. He started grinding his teeth. All to the amusement of the mouse. If anything, it made the mouse certain it was right.

"Let's just get going," he grumbled changing the subject. He thought he it would get the mouse to back off, but it wasn't stupid.

"Pikachu Pi," the creature replied back smirking. It was enjoying itself. Who didn't enjoy teasing others?

"Oh, you wanna go down this road?" The teen answered smirking. "What about her Eevee? You seemed to like her a lot." He laughed. The mouse's response was priceless.

"Pika Pi Ka!" it chattered, blushing now itself. It was offended. How dare its trainer tease him.

"Oh, you so can pester me, but I can't pester you?" The annoyed trainer grumbled. Such was the way of life he had to live with his partner.

"Chu Pi." It answered seriously, confirming its Trainer's question to be the truth.

"You suck Pi." His Trainer was upset. And the mouse now had a feeling why Misty had sent them a letter asking to meet up with them in their hometown.

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><p><strong>Me: Well, I hope you enjoyed it a little more than before. Just a heads up, the closer it is to the end of the week, the better I write. I'm just less stressed out on a Thursday or Friday than a Monday. See you next time! And remember to keep those lovely reviews coming!<strong>


	2. PtA: Encounter at Pallet

**Me: Yay! New chapter!**

**May: Hooray! Do I get to reach Pallet Town and see the person I want to?**

**Me: Maybe. I was so worried you were going to say his name.**

**May: Who? You mean- *Ash covers her mouth***

**Ash: Hey! Don't ruin the story! *whips hand away* And don't try to bite me!**

**Me: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I don't own Pokémon, now let's start this story before I have to break up a fight!**

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><p>Dawn sat on the couch. She felt the soft green surface of it. Her eyes glanced around the room. The pictures on the wall, the TV that sat on, Ash, who sat next to her, watching the news for any news on his old traveling companions. Ash's mother had gone to bed, but not before embarrassing the two by telling them to not do anything two lovebirds would do. The blunette still had questions about Ash's brother, but she didn't know when to ask them. She opened her mouth, finally deciding it was the right time. "Ash," she began, "What is your brother's name?"<p>

The phone sounded nearby. Someone was calling the house. Ash quickly answered the call, and his face lit up when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Hello?" Dawn heard a deep voice on the other end. She wondered who it could be. 'That meant it wasn't Misty or May,' she thought, 'but who could it be? Brock maybe?'

"Red!" Ash answered, peaking Dawn's interest. It gave her many questions. Who was Red? How did he know Ash? Was he cute? "It's been a while! I'm actually here with a friend of mine and we were just talking about you!"

Dawn's face paled. She couldn't believe it. The person she was just asking about, on the phone next to her. She couldn't believe it. Speak of the devil. And Ash's brother just had to ruin the alone time her and her Ashy were having. 'Dawn, admit it,' she thought to herself. 'You like Ash.'

"Wait, you're where?" Ash asked almost falling out of the chair.

She heard a noise on the other end of the line. It sounded like complete gibberish to her, but then again, she wasn't the one on the phone.

"Well why didn't you just ring the doorbell? Good timing though, mom's asleep! Here, let me get the door for you!" Ash chatted casually while heading for the front door.

Her eyes widened. He was here? Talk about a surprise. 'A surprise...' She thought. 'Wait a second! Misty said she had a surprise planned for May! this must be it!' She stood up and went to greet the boy at the door. "Hi!" She exclaimed, "I'm Dawn. I travelled with Ash in Sinnoh!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy greeted. "My name is Red. I am Ash's brother, but hopefully he already told you that. But then again, it wouldn't be surprising if Ash forgot about his closest friends and relatives- once again. And excuse Pika, he got sick of all of the walking." He added, as a yellow mouse scurried into the house and lied down on the couch.

Ash suddenly remembered something important. "Hey Red, guess who else is on the way, Misty and May!"

Red's face lit up at the mention of May. "Sweet! It'll be one big reunion!" He exclaimed, excited at the thought of seeing his old friends.

'So that must be why Misty wanted him here, she must want to play a little game of matchmaker.' Dawn suddenly realized, finally connecting the pieces.

"So when are they going to be here?" Red asked, glancing at the clock and seeing it was late.

"Actually," Ash began to explain, his hand reaching behind his head, "I have no idea. They were on the news a few hours ago, outside Viridian Forest. Actually, I'm not even sure they are coming here, all I know is they are heading in this direction."

Red seemed like he had just reached the low end of a sugar high. His smile waned, almost disappearing, and the emotion in his eyes dulled. Dawn noticed this, and decided to talk to him about it later.

Red yawned. "Well, it's late, I'm going to bed. Is my room still the guest room?"

"Yep," Ash replied, feeling a little sorry for his brother. When they went on their journey, Red rarely came home, and after a few years, their mom had converted his room to a guest bedroom for when Ash's friends visited.

"Well, you two figure out where you are going to sleep, I'll just be on the couch," he replied, carefully picking up his Pikachu and unfolding the couch into a mattress.

"So, I guess I'll have the guest bed and you can have your room?" Dawn asked, as she watched Red out sheets onto the unfolded mattress.

"I guess so," Ash replied, as Red plopped down on the mattress.

"Goodnight Ash," the girl said, walking to where she was going to sleep.

"Goodnight Dawn," Ash replied, heading off to his bed.

"Goodnight to you guys too," Red grumbled, turning off the nearby lamp and laying down.

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><p>"My little Red is home!" Delia cheered, waking up the other inhabitants of the house, quite forcefully.<p>

Ash came out of his room, and started laughing. The first thing he saw, was a mostly still asleep Red, being bear hugged by his mother, who was wearing one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen.

"Oh, it's been so long since my two boys were home at the same time! I'm going to cook you all a huge breakfast in celebration!" Ash's mother cheered, dropping the boy, and walking into the kitchen.

"You know Ash, one day I'll get you for that," Red groaned, glad to be once again receiving air to his lungs.

"Get me for what?" Ash asked, trying to act innocent.

"I saw you standing there, laughing as she nearly choked me to death," Red answered, finally able to open his eyes without squinting.

"Boys, boys, stop fighting, we have other things to do, like get ready for the shopping trip you are taking me on," Dawn interjected, causing the two boys to drop their mouths to the floor.

"Make sure you are ready before breakfast!" Dawn cheered before skipping off to her room to get ready.

"Wait, we agreed to take Dawn shopping?" Ash asked confused.

"Actually, she is your friend," Red explained, "I think you agreed to take her shopping."

"Great," Ash answered sitting down in defeat.

"Ash, whatever we do in the next few hours, we must be careful," Red declared shivering.

"Why?" Ash asked, curious at his brother's actions.

"Because," Red explained, "I sense a great disturbance in the force."

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><p>"Misty," the brunette asked, slowly brushing the locks of her hair, "How far away from Pallet Town are we?"<p>

"About an hour May, why?" Misty asked, attempting to hide her smirk. Misty had a feeling she knew why May wanted to get to Pallet Town, and she knew the reason, or rather person, was probably there right now. If not there, then on his way.

"Well, I just can't wait to see Mrs. Ketchum again," May answered, attempting to cover up the truth.

"Really, I thought you were hoping to see someone else there. I think I heard something about Red being there for a visit," Misty said, putting the bait in the trap.

"Really? It's been sooo long since I saw him last!" May answered, her eyes sparkling and her face lighting up.

"I knew it!" Misty exclaimed, "You do like Red!"

"I- I don't know what you are talking about," May said, trying to hide the heavy blush on her face.

"Don't lie May, you know I'm right," Misty counseled, trying to get the truth from the brunette.

"Well- Maybe I like him a little," May answered, putting emphasis on little.

"Please, I saw the way you reacted when I showed you the news article, you like him more than a little," Misty fought back, also putting emphasis on little. "You're madly in love with him!"

"What's the point of liking someone if they like someone else though?" May sulked, thinking of the picture of her crush and the girl. They seemed to natural together, they had to be dating.

"You don't know he doesn't like you, and anyway, why would he not announce to anyone that he was dating someone? Why would the press not be all over it?" Misty countered, guessing what the other girl was thinking.

"Well, I guess you are right," May replied, the fire in her eyes returning. She clenched her fist. "This time, I'm going to fight for him if I have to! I'm not leaving his side until I tell him how I feel! But how will I know when he is going to be there?"

"Actually," Misty replied, rubbing her head, "I may have sent him a letter asking to meet with him in Pallet Town, guessing that you likes him. I told him if he told me when he got there, I would meet up with him. I said I had something urgent to discuss with him."

"Misty!" May exclaimed, "I don't know whether or not to thank you or kill you!"

"How about you thank me?" The girl answered, sweat dropping at her friend's response.

* * *

><p>"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, surprised once again at how much his trainer could eat before being full.<p>

"Oh, Pikachu! I forgot to get you ketchup!" Ash exclaimed, handing the rodent a red bottle.

"Pika!" The rodent cooed, not caring anymore that it's trainer didn't understand it. It opened the ketchup bottle, and started its feast.

"Well, I'm going to go get the rest of my stuff, and then we can go shopping!" Dawn said, running to her room and shutting the door.

"Ash," Red whispered, once he was sure the blunette wouldn't be able to hear him. "Don't get up, the disturbance is stronger, whatever is going to happen, will happen any second."

"Red, I'm scared. What's going to happen?" Ash asked, not quite sure whether or not his brother was messing with him.

"I don't know," his whisper cut the air like glass. "I think it has to do with me though." The doorbell sounded as he finished. They looked at each other, until Red went to open the door, knowing he couldn't avoid fate. He opened the door, and to his horror, and pleasure, there were two people there. He didn't know whether to run or not. One of them, noticed him before he could decide however.

"Red!" May cried, tackling him to the ground. "I've missed you so much! It's been so long! Where did you go? What did you do?"

"Uh, May?" Misty interrupted, noticing the trainer's face beginning to turn purple. "I think you are choking him."

"Oh hi Ash!" May said, after in latching herself from the other boy and standing up.

"Close- The- Door!" Red panted, recovering from the bear hug.

Misty closed the door, without even following the boy's gaze outside.

"We need to be quiet," the boy began, once he regained his breath. "I saw a news reporter outside. They will all be here soon, especially since they know I'm here with you two." He walked around the room, and closed the curtains.

"Red Ketchum!" His mom demanded. "Open those curtains this instant!"

"Sorry mom, but we are kind of hiding from the paparazzi," he explained, while noticing the blunette walking back into the room. "Dawn, turn the TV on, keep the volume low though. I want you to flip through the channels until I tell you to stop.

She turned on the television, and began to flip channels. A battling show. Contest reruns. Sports. Kids shows. "Stop!" He exclaimed, seeing a video of what looked like the house they were residing in.

"We have exclusive footage of Misty Waterflower and May Maple I Pallet Town," a voice narrated. "Here, you can see them standing outside a house, that gets opened by Red Ketchum of all people." The person continued, until May tackled Red, and started agin after Misty shut the door. "It appears we have a new couple, and it is Red Ketchum and May Maple of all people! How will this affect their careers? We will be interviewing them, after this break." Misty looked at the two who appeared to be the next victims of the paparazzi. They both stood next to each other, faces red, eyes locked on the TV.

"So, we will soon be surrounded by paparazzi, who are all going to be attempting to pry into our new's couple's dating life," Misty said, breaking the ice and explaining their situation, "What do we do?"

The doorbell rang. And it began.

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><p><strong>Me: Well, you thank my boredom for this chapter. I literally just spent almost 3 hours writing this. And luckily for all of us, I found out that I have a two hour school delay tomorrow. So I'm getting up at a normal time, and starting Chapter Three. Because I awesome like that. And I'm so bored. Remember to review! See you next time!<strong>


	3. PtA: Stallscape

**Me: Yay! Chapter 3 is here! I should let you guys know, I'm taking a week in June for my usual Boy Scout summer camp, but I'm also taking 6 days for something called Twin Arrows, and 7 days for a trip to Florida Sea Base. So you can either expect few updates from me, or lots of updates. **

**Misty: I don't see why you wouldn't be able to write on the way to and from those trips. **

**Me: That is what is the problem. I'll get time to write then, but not anytime in between. And you assume I'm taking my phone to the second and third ones. **

**Misty: Just take it...**

**Me: I'm not getting my phone wet! And I'm not sure I'll even be able to charge it! Ash, do the disclaimer for me, will you?**

**Ash: Captnspdr does not own Pokémon, only the OCs and storylines used in this story. Please don't sue him. I like existing in his stories. **

**Me: And without further ado, we begin!**

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><p>Ding dong. Ding dong. The doorbell rang continually, horrors lurking on the other side of it. We last left our heroes surrounded by the paparazzi. They last recorded May tackling Red, and now assume the two are dating. We come back to our heroes questioning what to do. And panicking. But mostly deciding what to do next.<p>

"Why don't they stop ringing the god damn doorbell!" Red almost screamed, the constant tolling starting to get to his nerves.

"Just... Calm down," Misty said, shaking her head at the boy, who was attempting to cover his head to no avail. "If we don't answer, they will get bored and go away."

Ash sat at the table, facing everyone else. He sat silently, taking in what was going on around him. He was used to being swarmed by paparazzi before, but he was never cornered like he was at that moment. His eyes glanced at the clock. The pestering had only started ten minutes before. He heard Misty's comment, and sighed, closing his eyes and propped his head up, using his arm on the table. He answered Misty, "But we don't know how long that will take. It could be hours, it could be days."

Dawn joined the conversation, turning sideways as she sat on the couch, "We can't just sit around! Let's do something!"

Red stood up, clearly not as agitated anymore. "Sounds like they broke the doorbell," he said, hearing no annoying sound. "And Dawn's right," he added, "there has to be something we can do. Mom, did you ever get that taller fence installed like you wanted?"

"Why yes," the mother answered puzzled, as she leaned against a counter, "but what good would that do against what is outside?"

"I have an idea," Red stated. "What if, we sneak out back very quietly, and then release our Pokémon and scare them off?"

"That could work," Misty said, pondering the idea. "I mean it's not like we can do anything else."

"May? Come on! Snap out of it!" Red instructed, shaking the brunette who was spaced out, and still staring at the now turned off television.

She blinked after a minute, and shook her head, snapping out of whatever she was in. "Huh?" She asked, looking around. "What happpened?"

Red explained to her what she had missed, "Well you see, the paparazzi have surrounded the house, and now we are going to sneak out back and send out our Pokémon to scare them off."

She shook her head, signaling she understood, and then followed everyone else out back. They reached their hands down to their belts, fanny packs, and other Pokéball storage areas, and called out their companions, yelling orders, and alerting the crowd forming outside.

"It's a Pokémon stampede!" A female cried, pointing the the creatures charging towards the crowd.

A man holding a camera yelled immediately, "Everyone, run!"

The crowd scattered, and left nothing except dust in the air. The trainers thanked their companions, and returned them, before shrinking the balls, and placing them where they were retrieved from.

"Well now that that is over," the mother greeted as the teens red termed the house. "Who wants cake?"

"Mom, isn't it still a little early for cake?" Red asked, sweat dropping at his mother's actions.

"Oh, why you are right honey, but I can still make some for later," she replied, realizing it wasn't even noon yet.

"So guys," Dawn said, turning to Misty and May. "Ash and Red were about to take me shopping, do you want to come along?" The boy's face paled, and May's lit up. Misty smirking, enjoying seeing the boys suffer.

"Would I?" May exclaimed, almost jumping up and down.

"I guess I will come to, even if I won't buy anything," Misty answered, watching the boys recoil in fear.

"Come on!" Dawn exclaimed grabbing Ash's hand and dragging him off. "We are burning daylight!"

"Red! We are wasting time!" May said, doing the same to boy as Dawn did to his brother.

"Why? Arceus save us..." Red groaned, as Misty followed, grinning a huge grin because of his torture.

* * *

><p>Our group, after an hour long walk, and many instances of dodging curious people, have reached what appears to be a giant building in Viridian City. Its exterior appears to be mostly window, and it is surrounded by parking lot as far as the eye can see. Our group appears to be surrounded by a huge crowd of people, all attempting to enter this building, which is undoubtedly the shopping mall they were going to. They entered the mall, pushing and shoving like everyone else. Apparently the mall had just opened.<p>

"Ash!" Dawn cheered, pointing to a portion store. "Let's go to that store!" She dragged the boy off, leaving Red with May and Misty.

May grabbed Red's hand, and began to drag him off. "Red! I heard they have a bikini store here! Come on! I could use a good one!"

Misty stood in the entrance, alone. She thought for a moment, then grinned. "It'll definitely be funnier watching his reaction," she muttered, grinning, before following in the direction that May went off to.

Meanwhile, a lone figure stood in the shadows, watching. "This will be interesting," he muttered. He flicked his hair, and followed Misty, staying in the shadows the entire time.

* * *

><p>Red did not enjoy being dragged around the mall. Let alone to end up in a bikini store. The only reason he was barring this, was because May wanted it. He knew from previous experience that you do what May wants, or else. He tried to figure out a way to go to a different store, but how to not anger May in the process. He then had an idea. "Hey, May, why don't we go to that store instead?" He asked, pointing to a shop full of candies.<p>

May looked at where he was pointing, then started grinning. "Great job Red! You found the store is was looking for!" She then dragged the teen into the store next to the one he had pointed to.

"Crap," he muttered, as he was pulled into the store. "This day could not get any worse." His eyes then grew. He had said the forbidden words. Now, without a doubt, he would suffer. Then his heart almost stopped. He heard someone. And he knew that someone would deliberately go out of her way to ruin his day, and it would all be for a laugh.

"Come on May, let's find you some nice looking bikinis to try on," Misty said, leading the other girl to another part of the store.

Red had two options. Run, and suffer later, or stay, and suffer less. He made the obvious decision, less suffering. He then breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. He had found a chair. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. He wished he hadn't left Pika at home, his partner was probably doing something fun, like laying on the couch and watching a good show.

"Hey Red," the brunette called out, peaking his interest. "How does this look on me?"

Red's face immediately turned red. He began to stupidly stammer incoherently, his breath taken away. Right in front of him, stood May, in a modeling pose, wearing a skin revealing green, two piece bikini with white polka dots spread across it. Of course he wasn't paying attention to how the bikini looked, he was paying attention to everything else.

"Do you like it?" May cheered, spinning and showing it off even more. Red's face turned even redder, and his stammering became even less coherent.

Misty smirked, holding back a laugh, she expected a response from Red, but she didn't expect what she was now seeing! "I think he likes it May, you should get it," she said to the brunette, who ran off to change and purchase the swimwear. She waited until the other girl was out of earshot, and then started conversing with the still tomato red boy sitting in front of her. "It looks like someone has a crush."

The raven haired boy immediately snapped out of his trance, and fired back. "What? That's crazy, May and I are just friends."

"Well it looks like you wish it was more than that," she replied, getting down to the business she had come to Pallet for.

"Well maybe I do..." Red quietly in embarrassment.

"Don't worry," Misty assured him. "I'm not going to tell her." He breathed out in relief. "Although you should know that I wanted to discuss exactly that with you."

"But- How-?" He asked in confusion, his face paling.

"It was obvious. When I ran into you guys in Hoenn, Brock and I could easily tell you liked her." Misty replied, watching his face pale even more, after hearing that Brock knew.

"Did- Did anyone else realize?" He asked, finally managing to form a sentence, without much incoherency.

"Well, Ash was too dense to notice." His face didn't change, knowing that at least was true.

"And Max was too young to notice." Still no change.

"And May was too busy to notice." His face returned to normal, and his body relaxed.

"It's a good thing she hasn't realized," he stated, at ease. "She probably like shrub boy anyway."

"Oh, you don't know that," Misty counseled. "Why would she like him anyway? You're way cooler. Now come on, I'm sure May is checking out right now."

The two walked towards the cash register. They once again, failed to notice the person watching in the shadows nearby. He laughed to himself. "Hah! He thinks she likes me! This will be way to easy!" He then frowned, as he remembered what else the person had said. "Wait! My name's not shrub boy!"

* * *

><p>Ash and Red were both happy. Dawn and May and only managed to make it into the Poffin and Bikini stores, because it was so crowded inside the mall. And since each only had a single bag, they were carrying everything for once. Ash leaned over to Red, and began to whisper. "I was so bored, all Dawn did was look at Poffin machines and Poffin recipes. What did you do?"<p>

Red groaned, almost not wanting to relay what he had gone through. "May took me to a bikini store and modeled in front of me."

"You're kidding!" Ash replied. "I wish Dawn had taken me there!"

"Misty was there." Red stated.

Ash's smile disappeared. He understood now that he had been better off. Misty had probably spent the whole time laughing at Red and teasing him. "Oh," was all he managed to say before he ended the conversation.

A voice then called out from behind the group, interesting them all, and making them turn around.

"Red Ketchum, I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Well, that was an interesting chapter. I think you can all guess who the stalker was. <strong>

**Drew: Hey! How do you know that the guy is a stalker? I happen to be very good friends with him and I know for a fact that he isn't a stalker. **

**Me: Oh, well look who arrived. I think you guys can guess who challenged Red too. **

**Drew: Oh hello May. I didn't realize you were here as well. *Gives her a rose***

**May: *takes rose and giggles* Why thank you Drew. **

**Red: *grumbles and turns away***

**Me: Well, see you guys next time!**


	4. PtA: Moms are Embarrassing

**Me: It's chapter 4! Hopefully by now it's hasn't been too long for you guys!**

**Drew: Who knows, it is you after all. **

**Me: Do the disclaimer or get out. **

**Drew: Captnspdr does not own Pokémon. Because if he did, everyone would not be ten and Red would exist in the anime. **

* * *

><p>"Red Ketchum! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" A voice called out from behind the group.<p>

May turned around. She knew that voice. She was right. In front of her, stood Drew, and all of his green hair and arrogance.

"But let's make this battle a little more interesting. Whoever wins gets to go on a date with May," he said, flicking his hair. "I know you like her as much as I do."

May couldn't believe it. Drew was always trying to date her, and if Red liked her as much as he does, then that means, her crush likes her! But still, a battle to decide who she would go out with? That was just ridiculous. She looked at her crush, and her heart swooned at his answer.

Red answered, his face red. "I accept your challenge, but if I win, May gets to decide who she wants to go on a date with, as well as when. And that means she can choose anyone. It doesn't have to be one of us."

"The battle between Drew Hayden and Red Ketchum will now begin." Misty stated, taking the role of the referee. "It will be a one-on-one battle, and will end when one Pokémon cannot continue to fight. Trainers, release your Pokémon!"

"Flygon, let's show him our power!" Drew called, releasing his green dragon.

"Riolu! May the aura be with you!" Red called, releasing the tiny jackal.

"Here Drew, I'll make this a little easier for you," Red called. "Riolu, use Force Palm!"

The tiny blue Pokémon charged toward the dragon, hitting it quickly, and damaging it greatly. Drew stood there dumbfounded. "But how?" He asked. "How is something so small so fast and powerful?"

Red answered matter of factly. "You see Drew, Riolu uses aura to boost its speed and power. No matter what the size or strength, aura can be used to defeat anything. I'm surprised that your Flygon is still standing, normally Riolu takes his opponents out in a single move."

* * *

><p>An hour had passed. Everyone who was watching had quickly grown bored. Flygon and Riolu continued to take each other's attacks head on, and neither had fallen yet. Both were exhausted, and both just wanted the battle to be over. They were down to their last legs.<p>

Misty, stifling a yawn, announced the new rule. "Riolu and Flygon are both too tired to attack, therefore, who ever falls first loses."

May tensed up. This was the final moment. The next few seconds would decide the victor, and her fate. She had her hands in fists, willing Riolu not to faint. If Red won, she could waits however long she wanted for a date, and then she could choose who wanted to go on it with. It would be like the battle didn't even happen. Typical Red. Putting what she wanted before what he wanted. He could have easily gone on a date with her, but instead he choose to give her so much freedom.

"Flygon is unable to battle, Riolu and Red are the winners!" Misty announced, causing May to look up. Drew had recalled Flygon, who was laying on the ground, to exhausted to fight any longer. He sat in the dirt, defeated. Red on the other hand, had picked up his exhausted Riolu, and cradled it in his arms, and thanked to for its good work, before recalling it.

Red walked up to Drew and helped him up. He shook his hand. "Great battle," he complimented. "You have raised your Flygon well. Riolu was seconds from fainting. Had it been a Contest battle, I'm sure you would have won."

"When you sent out Riolu," Drew said. "You mentioned you would make it easier for me."

Red cut him off. "I could have thrown you off guard and defeated you. Riolu and I can communicate telepathically. I could have commanded him mentally instead of letting you hear what moves he was going to use."

Drew turned around. "I will see you around then. Next time we battle, the outcome will be different. I'll train my Pokémon as hard as I can!" He walked off, heading back toward Viridian City. He had turned around to hide his tears. He had lost. Any chance he had of getting May was gone. How would he ever be able to face her?

Red watched Drew until he had become a small speck on the horizon. He felt sorry for the guy. Embarrassed by another in front of a crowd. And his crush, on top of it. The battle would no doubt be in the news that night as well. He almost sighed, starting to feel a little sorry about what he had done. "I guess we should be getting back, people are probably worried sick about us," he told his friends, turning around to face them.

Ash's stomach growled. "And we skipped lunch." Everyone laughed. Typical old Ash. Then their stomachs growled and they all began the short walk back to Pallet.

* * *

><p>The group stood outside the Ketchum residence. Everyone looked at each other, feeling uneasy. Red opened the door, and was greeted by his screaming mother. "Red Ketchum! I was watching the news and of course I'm greeted by you battling someone over who should date May! How dare you! She should decide herself who she wishes to go out with!"<p>

May stepped in between the two, and attempting to calm the raging mother. "Mrs. Ketchum, please. Drew wanted to fight over who of the two of them should go out with me. Red saw no way out of it, and changed his side of the bet to me being able to choose who of anyone I would go out with and when I would do it." She began to cry. "Please! Stop!"

"Oh Red, I'm sorry honey. I didn't realize it was like that. But it looks like you have a secret admirer." His mother said, shocked by May's words.

"Now come on in," she said to the two teens who were red faced. "I have dinner all ready for everyone."

May waited for everyone else to head inside except for Red. "Thanks for what you did back there with Drew," she said.

Red replied simply, "No problem. That's what friends are for."

May suddenly got a brilliant idea. "Well I have to thank you somehow," she stated. She quickly pecked him on the cheek, and then headed inside to join the others.

Red stood there, surprised. He wondered to himself, 'Did she just?' He smiled, holding where her lips had touched him, and headed into the house behind her.

* * *

><p>It was late. May yawned. She couldn't sleep. Dawn and Misty had both fallen asleep easily, and were lying in the other beds near her. She didn't know why she couldn't sleep, but she decided to get up. She very quietly crawled out of bed, and slipped out the door. She headed downstairs, being careful not to let the stairs creak. She heard a noise, and stopped. She started back down relieved, realizing it was just someone shifting on their mattress. She reached the living room. He was fast asleep, and looked peaceful.<p>

'He looks so cute when he is asleep,' May thought approaching him. She stroked his messy black hair, longed to hold onto him like she had when he answered the door. She wanted to make up for the years where they didn't see each other. She remembered the days after they went their separate ways, how she longed for him. But now he was back, and she was never going to leave him. She smiled, remembering all of the good times they had had. She frowned, also remembering how he either never noticed when she flirted with him, or pretended to not notice. She decided the denseness must be in the Ketchum family's blood. She yawned. She was finally feeling sleepy. She didn't want to walk back upstairs. She felt at peace with him in the room. He was laying on his side. She laid down next to him, facing his back, and wrapped her arms around him. 'Five minutes like this wouldn't hurt,' She thought. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. The fluttered shut, and she fell fast asleep, still wrapped around him.

* * *

><p>The sunlight shone through the window onto Red's race. He tried to swat it away, like it was something that was tangible. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. Then, deciding he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, he opened his eyes, yawned, and attempted to stretch. Then he realized he could barely move. He managed to wrestle himself around to see why he couldn't, and his face turned red. May was fast asleep, and latched onto him, like she was never going to let go. Her eyes fluttered, and he panicked. He shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.<p>

May opened her eyes, and thought she was dreaming. It was like some of the dreams she had had lately. She would wake up, and Red would be next to her. They would be a couple. This time though, it seemed so real. She decided maybe it was because she had seen him so recently. Oh, how she longed to be with Red. She figured she might as well make the best of the dream. She leaned forward, and kissed him, straight on the lips. She then stood up, and pinched herself. And realized she wasn't dreaming. Her face paled. She saw Red beginning to stir. She ran into the kitchen, and began to make something to eat, trying to act like nothing happened.

Red couldn't believe it. May, apparently thinking he was asleep, had kissed him, and then ran off when she saw him stirring. He decided to hang out where he was for a few minutes. Then, taking a deep breath, he walked into the kitchen. He decided to start a conversation. "Hey May, how did you sleep last night?"

May almost dropped the spoon she was holding. She panicked. 'Does he know?' She thought. "Good," she answered. "I had some trouble falling asleep, but I was fine afterwards."

"Last night was the best I've slept in a while," he said. "Normally Pika is rolling around and smacking me with his tail." He saw someone else enter the room. "Good morning Mr. Mime."

"Mime mime mime!" It said grinning, trying to explain what it had seen not long before.

"What's it saying?" May asked confused, but feeling she knew what it was trying to say.

"I don't know, I haven't figured out how to understand it yet," the boy replied, giving the Pokémon a "be quiet" glare while she wasn't looking. The creature walked off, leaving the two alone again.

Red took in another deep breath, he decided it was now or never. "May, I wasn't going to say anything, but I woke up before you did."

May dropped the spoon. Her jaw dropped and her face turned red in embarrassment. He had known about it all. Every last bit of it. 'He must hate me now,' May thought, horrified. Tears started to form in her eyes. She berated herself. 'How could I have been so stupid? I never should have kissed him! Even if I thought I was dreaming!'

Red saw tears forming in her eyes. He approached her. She opened her mouth to speak, "Red, I'm sorry I-" He locked lips with her, cutting her off.

Her eyes widened. He was kissing her. She felt like she was going to explode. He liked her back! She was so happy about what she had done before. She wrapped her arms and around him, and he did that same to her. It was the best day ever for her!

"Oh my god!" A voice screamed, breaking the two up. It was Mrs. Ketchum. Everyone else quickly rushed down the stairs and into the doorway. They all saw the same thing. Red and May in each other's arms.

Misty was the first to speak. "Yes! My plan worked!" She cried.

"My little Red has a girlfriend!" Delia cried, tears of joy running down her face.

Ash grumbled, annoyed. "I don't see what everyone is so excited about. I'm going back to sleep." He turned around and disappeared into his room.

"Dense old Ash," Dawn said, sweat dropping. 'But that density is part of the reason why I like him.'

May was embarrassed. Red saw it. "Come on May, it's too crowded in here, let's go for a walk." He pulled her outside, and left the others inside, celebrating.

They walked down the dirt road, both still in their pajamas. They didn't say a word. May, finally registering what had happened, reached her hand out and intertwined their fingers. Feeling pleased with herself, she smiled a little. she began to wonder why she waited so long to tell him her feelings. Even though she hadn't technically said her feelings out loud yet. Suddenly, she felt tired. She yawned, and her eyelid lowered. She began to fall toward the ground, but Red caught her. He picked her up bridal style, and started to carry her back toward the house. It was then that he noticed someone walking up to him. The person appeared to be around 13, with short blue hair, and glasses. He now appeared to be running, as if he had noticed the brunette. Red then realized who the boy was. It was the brother of the one in his arms. 'Oh how he will react when he finds out what happened between us!' Red thought, mentally laughing. 'All of the teasing he used to do to May. And the whole time she would deny all of it. Then again, I believed her when we were traveling and she kept telling Max she didn't like me!'

"What happened?" The boy asked pointing to the girl in Red's arms. "I'm Max, May's my sister. She had told me she was in Pallet Town, and I was going to surprise her by showing up."

"Max, don't worry, we were out for a walk, and she fell asleep. I'm hurt you don't remember me though. It hasn't been that long has it?" The raven haired teen answered.

The younger boy studied him for a moment. He stared at his face, then his hair, then the rest of him. Then it dawned on him. "Red!" Max exclaimed. "How have you been?"

"Well, I've had my ups and downs." He answered.

"I'm guessing this is one of those downs." Max said, pointing to the brunette asleep in his arms.

"No, this is probably one of the peaceful moments I've gotten to enjoy," Red answered, noticing they were at the front gate of his house. "Do you want to come in? We have quite the party going as it is."

"Sure, why not?" Max answered. "I might as well stick around for when my sis wakes up. So, have you been watching the news lately? They have been coming up with some of the most outrageous stuff about you and May. If I was still ten, I'd probably be teasing you guys so much about it!"

"Oh, well I saw the one from when she first got here," Red explained. "But I haven't really been keeping up since then."

"Man, my parents and I have been having some good laughs over the phone lately about those rumors." Max giggled. He had clearly been enjoying the two's unfortunate luck as of late.

"Oh, well that sounds fun," Red answered, his face paling. He began to imagine all of the horrors he would face from May's parents.

"By the way, my dad says he wants to speak with you and May as soon as you can call him," Max relayed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Ok, I guess May and I will call him once she wakes up," he squeaked, gulping. He saw the end coming sooner than he imagined.

"So where is everyone?" Max asked, noticing a quietness in the house.

"You know, I really don't know," Red answered, pondering the question. "Maybe they went to Oak's lab. Or they went shopping again." He set May down carefully onto the couch bed, being careful not to wake her. He then turned around, and headed for the kitchen.

"So how have you been lately? I hope my sis hasn't been bugging you too much. Then again, I guess it's her job to do that," Max said, following the older boy.

"Well," Red answered, "It was a little... How do I put it? Interesting. She was a little upset that I had been gone for so long, but at the same time- Well, I'm sure you saw her response when I opened the door."

Max chuckled. That moment would be hilarious for the rest of his life. "You know," he said, "When you disappeared, I really got the short end of the stick. Every time I got on the phone with May on my journey, the first question she would ask was 'Have you seen Red?' or 'Any news about Red?' It really gets annoying fast."

It was now Red's turn to chuckle. He then explained everything. "Well, I would've loved to tell you guys where I was, and maybe even have had you visit, but I was on a mission as a Pokémon Ranger. It was kept mostly confidential until now. In fact, I was only told yesterday that the information was being declassified. That's the only reason I can tell you about it right now. I've been all over in the past few years, helping out where I can. Actually, I've even had time to attend some of May's contests."

"What!" Max exclaimed. "That's amazing! I never imagined you to be a Pokémon Ranger! Let me see your stylus! Please!"

"Actually," Red sighed, "The stylus is recharging. And I don't really follow the traditional Ranger style. You see, I was a sort of test dummy. The people in Ranger HQ wanted to try pairing a Ranger who used mostly his or her stylus with a Ranger who relied more on Pokémon that person caught with Pokéballs. I can use the stylus pretty good, but I'm a little rusty as of late."

The clock ticked. It was now close to noon. A groan was heard in the other room. The boys looked at each other, and moved back into the room of the sleeping brunette. She was sitting up as they came in, and she yawned and stretched her arms. "Hey sis," Max said, "I think it's time to get up."

"Max!" She exclaimed, running to him and hugging him. "What are you doing here?" Hearing the two begin a conversation, Red walked off toward the bathroom.

"Well, I was nearby, and I found out you were here, so I thought I would stop by," Max said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not too hard to find out where my sis is when she is on the news tackling a famous trainer. Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad want to talk to you and Red when you guys get a chance."

May's strained to keep smiling. "Oh," she said unhappily. "I understand. Hey, where is everyone?"

"We think they went to the lab," Red answered, re-entering the room dressed in normal clothing. "Maybe you should get changed."

May looked down, and remembered she was still in her pajamas. A face of embarrassment came onto her face, and she rushed into the bathroom to get ready.

"What was that about?" Max asked confused.

"I have absolutely no idea," Red answered, puzzled.

* * *

><p>May closed the door. Her heart pounded. She recalled what had happened earlier in the morning. She blushed. She mentally berated herself. 'Stupid! You walked outside in your underwear and a tee shirt! It's going to be all over the magazines now!' She sighed. 'At least if there are any pictures of me, they will all show me with Red.'<p>

She changed out of her pajamas, brushed her hair, put on some makeup to look extra nice, and opened the door. She looked at the clock on the way out. 'Oops,' she thought. 'I didn't mean to spend three hours in there!'

She walked down the hall, and into the kitchen. She called out for Max. Nothing. She called for Red. Nothing. She felt scared. And then, from behind her, she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. She screamed. She turned around. She threw her fist. And she watched as she punched her beloved Red, right in the stomach.

"It was totally worth it," he said, the air knocked out of him.

Max laughed from under the table. "Oh my god!" He said in between laughs. "I'm glad I didn't grab your leg like I was going to!"

She punched him in the head, swiftly stopping the laughter. Then, she heard the door open.

"Hello?" She heard Ash call out, "Is anyone home?"

"Yeah!" She answered, moving to greet them. "Hey! Guess who stopped by! Max! Why don't you come and say hello?"

"Ash!" Max called running out of the kitchen, a small lump visible on his head. "Guess what? I'm a Trainer now! And remember you said I could battle you!"

"That's great honey," Delia said, "but we were actually about to head to Viridian City for a nice dinner in celebration."

"For what?" Max asked, curious.

"For all of us being here!" May exclaimed, cutting Max off. She called into kitchen. "Red! Dinner now! I'm hungry!"

"I'm coming!" He cried, emerging and walking toward the door. He grumbled to himself. "Geez, you could've been nicer about it."

May heard him say something. "What is that?" She asked.

"I said you look very nice today," he said, panicking.

Max gagged. "Yuck, get a room you two, you guys should just make out already!"

"Oh the irony!" Misty exclaimed, laughing.

"Wait, what! Are you two-?" Max asked pointing at them.

"Why yes, we happen to be dating now," May said, grabbing Red's hand and holding it.

"You mean? Yes! All those times I said you liked each other and I was right! Just wait until mom and dad hear about this!" Max screamed.

"Yes, I'm sure they will be happy when they hear the news from Red and me!" May growled, silencing the boy.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Well, I hope you enjoyed the double post. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some people who are raiding my fridge. *Moves offscreen* Ash! Get out of the kitchen!<strong>

**May: So Red, is there a beach nearby? I want to try on that bikini I got, see how it feels in the water.**

**Red: *face red* Ah- Well- Um- Maybe- *points in a random direction* There-**

**May: Let's go tomorrow!**

**Dawn: Yeah!**

**Me: *Sitting in corner* Meanwhile its snowing where I am. I guess we will see you guys next time. *hears noise downstairs* Drew! You get out of the fridge too!**


	5. PtA: Attack of the Hat Thief!

**Me: This chapter starts off with** **what happened while Red and May were gone.**

**May: But why? I like being the center of attention?**

**Red: You're not the only main character you know.**

**May: *smacks Red* But I'm the best of them all.**

**Max: More** **like the most annoying of them all...**

**May: *smacks Max* Shut up**!

**Me: I think its time for us to get started!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, no matter how much I wish I did**.

* * *

><p>Misty smirked, satisfied with her results. Dawn stood next to her, mouth open as the lovebirds walked off. Mrs. Ketchum yawned, and began to make her way back to her bed.<p>

"Dawn honey, close your mouth, or else you'll catch flies," she said as she passed by.

"What's wrong Dawn? Are you jealous?" Misty asked, snapping the girl out of wherever she had gone off to.

Dawn stood there, not quite knowing how to respond. She opened her mouth every few seconds, thinking she knew what to say, before closing it again. Finally, she decided what to say. A simple "Yes."

"Wait, I don't mean it like that! I mean I want something romantic like that to happen, but I wish it was with someone else..." her voice trailed off as she glanced at the stairs.

Misty grinned, deciding to have some fun with things. She decided it was time to play more matchmaker, and maybe this time Red and May would help her. After all, May is a girl, who would help another female friend to do anything if it was in the name of love. And Red- well she just figure she would blackmail him somehow. "Well who would you want to share a moment with?" she asked. "Ash maybe?"

Dawn face flushed fiercely. "Yes- I mean no!" she stuttered.

"Aha!" Misty exclaimed. "You do like him! Don't worry, I'll find some way to get into that thick skull of his. I mean, look at how easy it was to get the other two lovebirds together. Then again, Red isn't dense like Ash is... But that shouldn't be too big of a problem..."

Dawn became interested. "Wait, you hooked May and Red up?" she asked curious.

"Well," she explained, "It wasn't too hard, I mean I only really tracked down Red, and told him I needed to meet with him to discuss something important. And then it was only a matter of convincing him to meet me here and then dragging May along with me. Everything else fell into place from there. I honestly has not idea what I was going to do once they both got here."

"So you really think you can get Ash and I together?" Dawn asked, hands clasped and eyes sparkling.

"No need to worry!" Misty said.

"Hey! That's my line!" Dawn exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Ash was tired. And flustered. And a little jealous. He had been sleeping quite deeply, absorbed in a very nice and peaceful dream, when all of a sudden, he heard a commotion downstairs. So, groggily, he sat up and went to investigate. What he did not expect to see was his brother and May smooching. He felt a twinge of loneliness, and pretended to be tired, before going back to his room. What everyone else didn't realize, was that he wanted to cry. He wished he had someone to be wit. 'Like Dawn...' he though, his thoughts trailing to his companion. 'Wait, why am I thinking like this? I don't like Dawn, we are just friends. She probably likes Kenny or some other person anyway...' He grimaced, feeling even sadder. 'But man, I wish she liked me. I mean just because I act dense doesn't mean I am. I was just always too busy to focus on love. And now I'm sixteen, and just still single. What have I been doing with my life?'<p>

A certain mouse noticed his trainer's sadness, and went to comfort him, completely unaware of the conversation taking place beneath them...

* * *

><p>After about an hour, everyone was once again awake, and, currently munching down on breakfast, were bored out of their minds. They all sat at the table, human and Pokemon, munching on their toast, Pokemon food, and ketchup. Suddenly, the only male got an idea, and he started to grin.<p>

"Hey guys," he said, swallowing a mouthful of his breakfast, "Why don't we all go over to Professor Oak's lab? I haven't seen some of my Pokemon in forever!"

"That sounds like a great idea Ash!" Dawn answered. "I can finally meet Professor Oak in person!"

"I guess Mimey and I will come along too," Delia spoke up, "We don't get out very often and now is a perfect time to get some fresh air!"

"All right then," Misty said. "Then its decided. After breakfast, we go to the lab."

After an uneventful rest of the morning, our group is now on their way to Professor Oak's lab. Dawn has taken her place next to Ash, as per tradition on their recent journey. Misty is trailing behind the two, engaged in a conversation with the only adult of the group, who is being followed by her loyal Pokémon. The sun is high in the sky now, luckily for our group, Pallet Town, despite having its cold season, stays at a nice decent temperature during the rest of the year. Suddenly, Dawn slyly grinned, interesting the trainer next to her.

"Hey Dawn?" He asked, curious. "What's so funny?"

She stayed silent, just staring at him and grinning. He began to feel creeped out, worried that his crush had lost her mind. Suddenly, her hand darted up, and he flinched. Then he squinted as things became a lot brighter, and glanced at the blunette. She stood there, wearing an innocent smile, his hat resting upon her head. He grinned, and she took off. He soon began his pursuit, screaming loudly.

"Dawn! Give me back my hat!" He screamed, leaving the rest of the party behind him.

The three stared at where the other two stood a minute ago, processing what had just taken place. Misty then broke the silence.

"You know, I think they would make a cute couple," she sighed, lovesick.

"What about you Misty, do you have your eye on anyone?" Delia asked the teen, giving her a wink.

She closed her eyes and sighed, not expecting to be asked that. "Well," she explained. "Not right now, although I hope to find someone soon. All this romance around me makes me feel like a third wheel."

Mrs. Ketchum did what she does best. Comfort those around her. "Oh, don't worry, you'll find someone soon, I'm sure of it. Worse case just break up the moment with something embarrassing. I'm sure you have plenty of stories that would embarrass my boys."

Misty laughed, remembering some of the better traveling stories she had. "Oh you don't know the half of it Mrs. Ketchum!" She said in between breaths. "You don't know the half of it!"

* * *

><p>Ash shot down the path, slightly annoyed. He stumbled along some uneven ground, his eyes still not adjusted to his hat missing from his head. He squinted, trying to spot the mischievous female who stole said hat. He spotted a flash of blue, and took off, tackling the body that had appeared, landing with his legs between hers, and his hands clamped down on her wrists.<p>

"Dawn..." He said, glancing around their area, "Where's my hat?"

She struggled under his grip, and broke free, surprising even him. She quickly darted up, and his eyes registered a black, red and blue object in her hand. He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it, feeling a familiar object being reunited with his head. Dawn relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck for support. She looked into his warm, auburn eyes, and he stared into her sapphire ones. They slowly began to inch closer, they lips seconds from touching. They both closed their eyes in anticipation...

"Hey guys!" A voice called out from behind them, "Whatcha doing?"

They quickly darted away from each other, both of their faces tomato red. They both tried to answer, but the only things that came out of their mouths was gibberish.

"If you guys are going to do that, find a room," Misty lectured. "And make sure you lock the door and close the blinds so no one can see."

Their faces grew even redder, and their gibberish grew even more incoherent, if that's even possible.

"And Ash!" She exclaimed, embarrassing the boy even more, "I thought you were too dense to comprehend those things!"

"What do you mean dense?" Ash asked annoyed, regaining his use of the English language.

"Nothing," the gym leader replied, grinning mischievously.

"If you three are done," Ash's mother began, appearing out of no where and scaring the crap out of the teens, "We are at the Professor's Laboratory."

Ash gulped, knowing what was to come, and rolled his eyes, seeing Misty stifle a snicker at his uneasiness.

Dawn noticed his change in attitude, and immediately became concerned for her friend. "Ash," she asked, "Are you all right?"

The boy ignored her, and slowly continued onward. He took a deep breath, and stepped Ito the side entrance of the corral.

"You might want to stand back," Misty said, pulling the blunette away, and following the boy's mother, "Things are about to get a little crazy."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake softly, and a cloud of dust rose from the horizon. The rumbling grew louder, and stronger. The cloud of dust was becoming bigger and bigger-and heading straight for Ash!

Dawn squinted, attempting to make out what was causing the disturbance, and noticed a green Pokémon with buds around its neck-followed by a bunch of other Pokémon.

'Of course!' Dawn concluded, a light bulb appearing above her head. 'These are Ash's Pokémon!'

"Guys! Slow down!" Ash cried, his Pokémon suddenly trampling him, before gathering around-and on top of him for some-to say hello to him. After all, he had been gone and hadn't seen most of them for a year.

Then, as it seemed as if he would be under the Poké-pile forever, a set of vines suddenly appeared above the Pokémon and, much to their dismay, lifted Ash to safety a few feet away from them. There, a small green creature with a large bulb on his back, withdrew his vines back Ito wherever they go on or inside him, and smiled happily at his trainer.

"Thanks Bulbasaur," Ash told the creature, bending down to stroke its head softly, "You're a lifesaver."

After a moment, he slowly rose again, and cautiously turned to the other Pokémon, opening his mouth to speak.

"It's great to see all of you again, I've missed you all and it's great to be back."

All of them cheered, and the one leading the stampede tackled and him and began stroking her head against him.

"It's great to see you too Bayleef," Ash said, sweat dropping. "But please get off of me."

"Bayleef," it replied shaking its head in a no.

"Aw, that's so cute Ash!" Dawn exclaimed, approaching the two.

"Bayleef!" The Pokémon suddenly called, moving into an attacking position and glaring Dawn down.

"Bayleef! Knock it off! Dawn is our friend and you have no right to act like that!" Ash chastised, berating her actions in a parentish way.

"Bayleef bay," it answered, drooping its head down to the ground in an attempt to apologize.

"Now come on! Let's go and I'll introduce you to the gang Dawn!" Ash cheered, grabbing Dawns hand and pulling her to the group that had drifted away slightly. Bayleaf followed them, and even played with some of the other Pokémon, but never took her eyes off of Dawn.

Lol

"And that's what we did at Oak's Lab!" Misty exclaimed, sitting next to a bored Red on the couch, who had his head propped against his hand, which was being supported at the elbow by the armrest.

"And you're telling me this why?" He asked, glad the story was finally over.

"Isn't it obvious from the story? We need to get Dawn and Ash to realize their feeling for each other! It's just Ash is dense and Dawn... Well I don't know why Dawn hasn't realized yet," Misty said dubbin the back of her head due to the last part.

"And why are you asking me to help?"

"Because you're Ash's brother and you know how to get through that thick head of his! Duh!"

"Alright, I'll help you, but you should probably get May in on this too, she'll kill me if she finds out I'm doing something like this without her."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: I should probably explain the long time since an update. Well, I had some of those trips I told you I had to take... And I got a job so yeah... Really busy past few months for me. Anyways! See you next time!<strong>


	6. PtA: One Door Opens

**Me: Aw Arceus, I can't believe I let another *checks account* months go by. Well at least it wasn't a year like it's been in the past. Please enjoy chapter 6. Hopefully my writing skills have majorly improved (probably not though). **

* * *

><p>Thump. Thump. Thump. Red sat on the couch, his fingers drumming on the armrest. He let out a sigh, a look of pure boredom on his face. His eyes glanced impatiently to the clock, and then to the hallway, where the sound of running water was echoing from. Suddenly, he had an idea, and he closed his eyes. His entire body relaxed, like he had instantaneously fallen asleep, and a faint blue light surrounded him. It danced around his body elegantly, never straying too far from him, and always circling back to his central mass. His senses of the world around him dissipated, his mind drifting elsewhere…<p>

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes, but he was no longer where he was before. Or was he?<p>

He glanced around the room he was in, studying the dark blue walls, the soft, blue carpet underneath his feet, and the unsurprisingly blue ceiling overhead. Then he noticed the doors, their brown hues and wood grains calling to him, pleading for him to open them and see what was inside…

He shook his head, breaking the trance the doors seemed to have on him. He walked over to a mirror mounted on the wall nearby, and noticed his eyes. There was a blue glow to them, as if they were possessed, that seemed to come from deep within himself. Suddenly, he realized where he was: inside his own mind.

He turned and began to follow the hallway of doors, never grasping any handles or making any attempts to leave the enclosure he was inside of. Slowly, he noticed, the colors began to get darker. The blues began to fade into a purple, and the doors themselves became darker shades. Eventually, the purple began to recede, a dark maroon taking its place, and the doors started turning black.

The hallway ended, a lone, black door standing solemnly at the end. This door seemed different. It called to him even more, and while the others seemed familiar this one seemed foreign. H reached his hand out, grasping the white handle…

* * *

><p>He bolted up, sweating profusely, the blue light fading from around him. As his senses returned to him, he processed he was back in his house, outside of his mind, and that there was… beeping? He quickly left the room, heading in the direction of the noise.<p>

* * *

><p>A young woman stood in a room, her brown eyes looking at what was inside. She stood, her white shirt, blue along the sides, perfectly fit to her, her reverse colored shorts, hugging her waist as if she was wearing it to show off to someone. She wore a red jacket, the yellow trim accenting her yellow scarf that wrapped around her neck. She wore red, white, and blue running shoes, and blue gloves with red and yellow trims, as well as red goggles with blue lenses that held her brunette locks into place. The most intriguing part of her outfit, was the watch looking device she wore. It was a capture styler, meaning she was a Pokémon Ranger.<p>

She looked to the people broadcasted on the screens, then to the white haired man in a lab coat that had turned to face her. The people on the screens fell silent, and the man waited.

"Professor Hastings," she acknowledged, "You called for me?"

"Yes Summer," the professor answered, "I know that you have been sent on vacation, but certain… circumstances have arisen. We need you…" he paused, shifting uneasily, "And your partner's help a little earlier than we planned."

* * *

><p>The members and visitors of the Ketchum household sat in the living room silently, the only sounds being made coming from the television and the clock's constant ticking. Red, sensing the uneasiness coming over his friends and brother from his recent change, decided now was as good a time as any to speak up.<p>

"Hey guys," he said, gaining everyone's attention, "I was thinking about going to Petalburg City for a little… There are some things I need to take care of with some people I know and I also figured I could take a small vacation there."

"That's awesome!" Max exclaimed, "May and I can come with you! We can even sleep at mom and dad's house and use the chance to catch up with them!"

"Max!" May interjected, "Maybe Red needs some time to himself! Or maybe him and I want to spend time together, alone!"

Red cut in. "It's fine, I could use some company." He turned to the other three people in the room. "You guys are free to come too if you want."

"Sure, why not?" Misty replied, "Someone has to keep you in line."

"And I can use the time to train!" Ash added.

"Well if you guys are all going…" Dawn said, glancing at Ash and blushing slightly, "I'll come along too."

"If it's alright with you guys, I was kind of hoping to leave tomorrow morning…" Red said rubbing his head sheepishly.

"In that case I'll go start packing," Misty said, leaving the room. Everyone else nodded and went to get their respective belongings.

'I really hope I don't have to drag them into any trouble…' Red thought, sighing and leaving to get ready himself.

* * *

><p>Delia stood at the door, seeing her boys and their friends off on their trip. She gave her usual goodbyes, hugging Red a little tighter than usual since he tended to take longer trips the older he got.<p>

"Mom I know!" Ash yelled, cutting her off before she could remind him to pack clean underwear.

The group departed, heading south toward the harbor, where their ship to Hoenn awaited. The walk was mostly quiet, as no one had much to say. When the group reached the harbor, almost all of them gasped in surprise. In front of them, loomed a large cruise ship of vast proportions.

"That's our ship!?" The girls exclaimed in unison.

"Yup." Red replied nonchalantly.

"And just how do you expect us to afford tickets?" Misty asked.

"Well, I don't expect you guys to afford tickets. No offense."

"So how do you expect to pay for tickets?" May asked, rewording the previous question.

"Well, when you take money from placing high in tournaments, plus money from some other things I've done, and place a good portion of it in a bank account with a pretty good interest rate, you'll find I have a lot more money than you think."

"How much more?" Dawn asked.

"Uh uh uh. A magician never reveals his secrets," Red replied, wagging his finger.

Just then, a brunette in a blue flight attendant like suit approached the group, smiling and preparing to recite a speech that the company she worked for undoubtedly made her memorize. "Hi!" She started cheerfully, "Welcome to the Royal-"

She stopped, realizing she was only talking to a group of teenagers.

"I'm sorry, you must be in the wrong place. The ferries are on the other side of the pier. You see, this is a cruise ship, and you must pay a lot more than you can afford to ride on one of these." She stated, assuming they didn't have tickets.

"Actually," Red interrupted, "We have tickets." He handed her his trainer ID. She studied it, taking great effort to make sure it was legitimate and they weren't trying to fake a free trip aboard. All of a sudden, her jaw dropped in shock, and she handed back the ID quickly.

"If you'll follow me right this way please," she said her attitude changing completely. She led them up the gangplank, and through crowds of people toward the upper deck, narrating the entire time.

"Welcome to the Royal Hoenn, one of the finest cruise ships on the ocean to date. She is one of six in her fleet. You probably recognize the name due to the flagship of the fleet, the Royal Unova. On this ship we offer many things to do, from the food buffets in the food lounge, to the sports fields and pools on the other various decks."

They entered an elevator, and she momentarily stopped her tour, allowing them to listen to the catchy tune playing. The doors opened again, and she continued on with her speech. "Your rooms are right up ahead, and I think you'll find the accommodations lovely. Here you are, you have three rooms booked." She handed Red 7 keys.

Ash, Brock, and Max simultaneously looked at each other, and quickly snatched three of the keys, all to the room on the left, and rushed into it, not saying a word at all. Dawn, Misty, and May did the same, but only the first two grabbed keys and went to the room on the right, leaving May and Red alone with the employee.

"Wait," May said confused, as she looked at the other keys. "These are both for the same room."

"Good thing you two are dating," Misty voice called out through the door.

Red put his key into the door at the end of the hallway, and opened it, and May let out an audible gasp as she peered inside.

"I present to you, the Champion's Suite," the attendant said.

The room was a sea foam blue, with the entire outer wall looking out onto a balcony and the sea. On the left side, was the bathroom, with a standing shower and a jacuzzi. On the right, a small kitchen, with its own mini bar. And then the teens noticed the middle of the room.

"Wait, there's only one bed in here!" May exclaimed.

"I almost forgot to mention, the Champion's Suite also doubles as the Honeymoon Suite. Well, I think my boss needs me so I'll be going. Have fun you two!" Their former tour guide replied quickly before taking off.

Red walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, stretching out and making himself comfortable. "Ah, this is the life."

It was then that he noticed May's extremely red face.

"May, are you alright?"

She stared at the bed silently.

He stifled a laugh. "You know, it's funny that after what you pulled the other morning, you of all people are concerned about this predicament."

Suddenly, he yawned unexpectedly. "You know what," he told her, "That walk here really tired me out. I think I'm going to take a nap." Just as suddenly as he yawned, he was snoring.

May stared at the bed for a moment, before she had an epiphany. 'Wait a second,' she thought, 'technically we've slept on the same bed! Why am I freaking out about this?' She laid down quietly next to Red, hesitating momentarily, her back to him, before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Red yawned and blinked slowly while raising his head, his eyes adjusting to the blazing sun shining into the room. He laid there groggily for a moment, 'What time is it?' He wondered, his eyes glancing around the room for a clock. It was then that he realized he couldn't move. That, and he had May wrapped around him like she was holding on for dear life. Her arms were wrapped around his upper chest, and his around her's, and their legs were both intertwined. It was then that he also noticed a couple other of her parts pressed against him, and his face flushed slightly crimson at the thought. He laid his head back down, resting it mere inches from May's. It was then that May's eyelids began to flutter. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was two chocolate orbs.<p>

"Morning," she said, quickly pecking Red on the lips without thinking. It was then that a small click resonated in the room.

"Man, that's going to take some getting used to," Red said, clearly taken by surprise. It was then that they heard two small squeals.

"Oh man, look at this picture they look so cute together!" A voice squeaked from near the door.

"You have so got to send that to me Max! I can totally use it as blackmail!" Another voice added.

"Sure, just let me send it to my parents really quickly," A younger voice answered.

It was then that the two noticed they had company in the room with them. Following the sound of the voices, they saw Misty and Dawn leaning over Max's shoulder, all three staring intently at the screen of the device the boy was holding.

"Oh my god Max I am so going to kill you!" May suddenly screamed, tearing herself loose of the position on the bed, and beginning to chase the three trespassers who were currently running out the door.

Red sighed sitting up and grabbing his and May's shoes, before heading after his screaming girlfriend, who was banging on her brother's door, insisting he and her friends open up. "I guess some things will never change."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Ok, I know I said I was going to start making my chapters longer, but I figured since I've waited so long, I should at least give you guys what I had so far for the chapter. <strong>

**May: So why are you taking so long? I'm losing my spotlight here!**

**Me: Well, let's just say I have a lot going on now. I'm full throttle into almost all AP classes, soon to be IB, I'm really busy in Scouts because I'm working on my Eagle Project, and I'm all around busy with life (still single though). **

**Dawn: So you basically ditched us, the people who have helped keep you happy and occupied for the last 5 years so that you could have a regular life. **

**Me: *scratches head nervously* Yes...**

**Misty: I don't know whether to applaud you or kill you for leaving us here like that…**

**Me: Actually, I haven't been completely honest. I've also started writing a couple other fanfictions that involve you guys but with different plots. On the bright side, I also figured out a good portion of the plot for the rest of this story, and most of it isn't based off of where I was before the rewrite. **

**May: Oh dear…**

**Me: Anyways, see you next time!**


	7. PtA: A Taste of Paradise

**Me: Man, I take forever to update. Considering that I get super upset when I have to wait for other authors to update, you'd think I would make more of an effort. But apparently not.**

* * *

><p>Red plopped down into a chair in the cruise ship's main buffet exhausted. After spending the last hour chasing cold leads on May and Max, he had given up on trying to find them. With his stomach growling at him in anger, he decided to visit the place he now sat in so he could enjoy a nice, delicious cruise ship lunch. That is until some fangirls who happened to be in the neighborhood recognized him.<p>

Twenty minutes later, May, also hungry, found him surrounded by people of all types, who were swarming him for autographs. May ducked into the crowd, pushing as many people out of the way as she could, hoping to not be recognized herself. She pushed herself mostly through crazed fangirls, all proclaiming their love for him and trying to throw their arms around him. She pushed through even harder, her face turning slightly red as she became jealous. A few minutes later, she broke through the wave of people, sprinting and holding Red's arm, the horde of fangirls not far behind.

As Red registered he had been saved, he began to sprint away from the crowd and she matched his pace. They raced through the corridors, ducking in and out of hallways, the fangirl horde slowly closing the gap. Then, right as they nearly caught Red, May jumped into an elevator, and closed the doors before they could get inside. Defeated, the fangirls broke apart murmuring their disdain and went their separate ways. When the two walked out of the elevator on another floor, they stood in an empty hallway and let out sighs of relief, and began panting like they had just ran a marathon.

"Thank you," Red choked out, trying to balance drawing in as much air as possible with talking.

"Someone has to be here to keep you out of trouble," May answered, her heart rate beginning to slow to a normal rate.

"You want to have some lunch?" Red asked, pointing to a small deli a few shops down from where they were.

"Sure!" May replied, falling in line with her boyfriend, who had begun the short trip across the hall.

* * *

><p>On another area of the ship, Max sat on the ground, an ice pack in his hands, holding his head. Next to him, sat Dawn, in a similar position.<p>

"You know," Brock told them, whilst nursing their wounds, "You really should've seen this coming."

"I know," Max groaned, partly due to his injury, "But it was totally worth it."

Dawn nodded her head in silent agreement. Or at least nodded it as much as she could due to the pain. They both glanced back to Max's phone, as it vibrated once again, a text written in all capital letters displayed above a certain photo, the sender's name reading "Dad".

* * *

><p>"Are you going to tell me why you were surrounded by so many people?" May asked Red, taking a break from eating the noodles in her bowl.<p>

Red shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "Just some fans from competitions I've competed in. You tend to pick some up every now and then."

"Before I forget," he added, "Do I need to get a doctor for Max and Dawn?"

May shook her head, "No, I don't that will be necessary, I'm almost positive they'll recover."

Red accepted her answer, and went back to his sandwich as if the conversation had never occurred. The two looked out the side of the ship, admiring the scenery of the sparkling water filled with various water Pokémon, and the Wingull and Pelipper circling above, looking as if they were dancing in their hunt for food.

Suddenly, May's phone vibrated, and she sighed as she glanced at the screen.

"It's your father isn't it?" Red asked, glancing at her knowingly.

"Yep," May answered, sighing and turning off her phone.

"Then I guess you couldn't stop Max from telling them. I guess we should talk to them in person when we get to Petalburg. Good thing they don't have my number." Suddenly, Red's phone vibrated. He handed it to May.

"Is this his number?" She nodded her head as an affirmative and he looked back at his phone. He pressed the screen several times, making gestures each time, then sighed in relief.

"There we go. His number is silenced. So long as he doesn't use another phone I'm fine." His phone vibrated again and he sweatdropped, before dropping his head in defeat, turning off his phone completely.

* * *

><p>Red stretched his arms, taking in the sunlight and salty breeze on the deck. He stood outside the pool area, waiting patiently for May to finish changing in their room.<p>

He looked across to the nearby loungers, and noticed Misty laying out and tanning. He looked around, having a feeling there was something they should be worried about. His eyes widened in realization, and he walked over to question Misty.

"Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on someone?" Red asked, listening for any sounds that were out of the ordinary, such as screams of terror.

"No need to be concerned. I made sure Croagunk was keeping a very close eye on Brock," Misty answered, not even taking the time to open her eyes and look at Red. "I'm guessing you're waiting for May?"

He blew a raspberry. "Yup, though I can't help but wonder what's taking her so long."

"I'm sure she's putting on your favorite of her bathing suits," she said, referencing certain recent events, "And I'm sure she wants to make sure she looks perfect in it."

Red's face flushed a deep color, instantly taken aback by the redhead's comments. He almost began to get lost in thoughts of how May would look. Suddenly, he heard a voice beckoning him to turn around.

"Sorry I took so long!" May called, walking up to the two. Misty had been absolutely right, unfortunately for Red. "How do I look?" May asked, striking a pose.

Red began to stammer, causing May to giggle. She grabbed his arm, dragging him away from all of the other females now looking at him, a hint a jealousy flashing across her face as they appeared to check him out. "Come on, let's go have some fun," she said, leading him towards the pool.

They were about to get in and find a nice spot to relax, until Ash came swimming up to them, placing his hands on the edge. "Hey guys, where's Dawn?" he asked curiously.

"Don't worry about her," May answered, a dark grin forming on her face, "she's busy with something."

"No need to worry! I'm right here!" Dawn exclaimed, hopping into the pool beside Ash, wearing a striped blue and white two-piece.

Ash eyes took a moment to examine her, following every curve, every bead of water, and her wet hair, some strands sitting on her chest… Ash snapped out of his trance, looking away quickly, his face a slight red. "What's going on with me?" he thought, unaware of the meaning to his actions.

"Are you going to stare at her like that all day? Or are you actually going to act like a normal person?" Misty asked, watching him from the edge of the pool with a grin, snapping him out of his trance.

Ash turned and opened his mouth to answer, but the two turned to look back at May, as she shrieked, due to Red picking her up bridal style above his head and throwing her into the pool.

"Red Ketchum I am going to kill you!" May half screamed, half giggled as she quickly surfaced, and grabbed his ankle, pulling him feet first into the water. She then snuck behind him and waited for him to come up, before placing her hands on his shoulders and dunking him back under the water.

Dawn then grabbed Ash's wrist and dragged him toward another part of the pool, finding something more interesting for them to do than gape at his brother and the brunette.

Misty face palmed, having taken the time to look to the other side of the pool, only to see an unconscious Brock being dragged into a lawn chair by his caretaker.

* * *

><p>Red and May had begun to calm down a little after frustrating several people with their childish antics. They had now opted to instead relax and soak up the water and sun. Suddenly, May let out a small shriek as a pair of arms wrapped around her and lifted her into the air.<p>

"Hey toots," the bald, muscular man holding her said, "why don't you come and hang out with me for a while? I promise you we'll have lots of fun together, maybe even go back to my room."

"Hey! Put my sister down!" Max yelled from the across the pool, having recently recovered from his injuries.

"Max, don't worry, I've got this," Red growled, standing up and glaring down the man. "Put her down now or else."

"Or else what little man? I'll beat you into a pulp?" The man taunted, setting May down as Red held his fists up. "You stay here toots, I won't be long."

May slowly crawled to the side of the pool silently. Suddenly, the man charged Red and swung his right fist at Red's face. Red stayed still as everyone watched in terror. Then, right before the fist made contact, Red swung his head out of the way, and stabbed two fingers into the man's gut, his hand surrounded by a faint blue smoke. The man dropped instantly like a rag doll.

'What!? What did you do to me!?" The man exclaimed, unable to move his limbs.

"I temporarily sealed one of your pressure points, you won't be able to move your limbs for the next hour or two. Now I suggest you have your friends take you out of here, and I better not ever see your sorry ass ever again because I won't go so easy on you next time," Red growled as he dragged the man out of the pool, where two guys, presumably his friends, picked him up and carried him away. He looked back toward the crowd for a moment, his eyes turning from blue to their normal color. He turned to his friends not too far away, and let the scene.

"Now that that's settled," Red said approaching Ash, Dawn, and May, before disappearing under the water, and coming up with May's legs on his shoulders, "Chicken Fight!"

Dawn quickly hopped up on Ash, sparks flying between the two teams' gazes. Both boys charged for each other, the girls' hands intertwining. For the next minute or so, both groups went back and forth, one pushing forward and the other falling back a little, before reversing roles. Then, with a loud shriek, May lost her balance, falling backwards under the water, taking a now off-balance Red with her. Unknowing to them, someone had recorded both fights, and silently uploaded it to their social media page.

On a balcony above, a lone figure watched them silently, analyzing all of them before turning around and speaking into a device in their ear. "Yeah boss, I found him. He's just as dangerous as you warned."

The figure turned back to look at Red, her face hidden behind the shadow of the ceiling. "You'd better look out boy, because my employer is coming for you. And he's going to destroy everything you hold dear." The figure left the happy scene, disappearing into the shadows as if she were never there.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Well, I hope you enjoyed. I meant for the chapter to be more peaceful, but I discovered without any action at all I get severe writer's block, and I end up adding some sort of drama or action to move the plot and my thinking out of the rut that forms.<strong>


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